''And One Was Beautiful'' is a 1940

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

film directed by

Robert B. Sinclair Robert Bruce Sinclair (May 24, 1905 – January 3, 1970) was an American director who worked in film, Theatre, theater and Television show, television. Early years Robert Bruce Sinclair was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of an insurance agent. ...

and starring

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...

Laraine Day Laraine Day (born La Raine Johnson, October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007) was an American actress, radio and television commentator, and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract star. As a leading lady, she was paired opposite major film sta ...

, and

Jean Muir Jean Elizabeth Muir ( ; 17 July 1928 – 28 May 1995) was a British fashion designer. Early life and career Jean Muir was born in London, the daughter of Cyril Muir, a draper's floor superintendent, and his wife, Phyllis Coy. Her father ...

. It is based on the story of the same name by

Alice Duer Miller Alice Duer Miller (July 28, 1874 – August 22, 1942) was an American writer whose poetry actively influenced political opinion. Her feminist verses influenced political opinion during the American suffrage movement, and her verse novel ''The W ...

. Two sisters are attracted to a rich playboy. One runs over and kills a man, and lets the playboy take the blame.

Plot

Glamorous socialite Helen Lattimer is reaching for the top of society, while her younger sister Kate is perfectly content as she is. Helen is very determined not to go to a seemingly dull party, so she sends Kate instead. At the party, Kate meets playboy Ridley Crane. They hit it off and spend the evening talking about cars. Kate is instantly smitten by Ridley, but he is more interested in her beautiful and more glamorous sister. The night after, Ridley gets drunk at a road house and passes out. Helen decides to drive him home in his sports car, but she is not used to the roadster manual shift gear and hits and kills a bicyclist. Helen runs away, leaving Ridley behind in the car. Ridley is arrested and charged with manslaughter. When Helen returns home very upset, Kate suspects that there is something wrong. Helen has stains on her driving gloves and she immediately starts burying a small package in the garden. Kate digs up the package, which contains her sister's shoe with a missing heel. Kate knows that a heel was found in Ridley's car, but when she confronts her sister, Helen denies everything. Kate goes on to tell Ridley about what she has found, but he decides to shield Helen and pleads guilty. The judge makes an example of him and sentences him to five to ten years in

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

. Kate takes every opportunity to remind her sister that she is responsible, driving Helen to marry a lawyer to escape the incessant accusations. Kate visits Ridley as often as allowed. Ridley has arranged for the dead man's family to be financially secure, and Kate sees them regularly as well to make sure everything is alright. Kate eventually has them write letters to the governor asking for a pardon. It works. Meanwhile, Helen separates from a husband she finds excruciatingly boring. When Ridley is released from prison, she is eagerly waiting for him, assuming they will get married, but he proposes to Kate instead.

Cast

as Ridley Crane *

as Kate Lattimer *

as Helen Lattimer *

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North ...

as Mrs. Julia Lattimer, mother of Kate and Helen *Ann Morriss as Gertrude Hunter *

Esther Dale Esther Dale (November 10, 1885 – July 23, 1961) was an American actress of the stage and screen. Early years Dale was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Leland and Gray Seminary in Townshend, Vermont. In Berlin, Germany, she stu ...

as Margaret *

Charles Waldron Charles Waldron (December 24, 1874 – March 4, 1946) was an American stage and film actor, sometimes credited as Charles Waldron Sr., Chas. Waldron Sr., Charles D. Waldron or Mr. Waldron. Early life He was born and grew up in Waterford, New Y ...

as Stephen Harridge *Frank Milan as George Olcott *

Rand Brooks Arlington Rand Brooks Jr. (September 21, 1918 – September 1, 2003) was an American film and television actor. Early life Brooks was born in Wright City, Missouri. He was the son of Arlington Rand Brooks, a farmer. His mother and he moved ...

as Joe Havens * Paul Stanton as Arthur Prince *Ruth Tobey as Zillah Torrington, a daughter of the dead bicyclist

Production

The film was based on a novel by Alice Duer Miller which was bought by MGM in October 1937. The book was published in February 1938, ''The New York Times'' calling it "an exciting story of manslaughter". In November 1939 MGM announced that

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

would star, Frederick Stephani would produce and Kathryn Scola was writing the screenplay. Virginia Bruce was cast in January 1940. In February Laraine Day replaced

and Bob Cummings and Billie Burke joined the cast. Filming took place from February to March 1940.

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said it was "more prosaic than lyric."THE SCREEN New York Times 11 Apr 1940: 35.

External links

* * *{{Amg movie, 83678

References

1940 films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Robert B. Sinclair Films scored by Daniele Amfitheatrof Films based on works by Alice Duer Miller 1940 romantic drama films Films with screenplays by Kathryn Scola 1940s American films 1940s English-language films